288 the entomologist's record. 



Males mate with headless females, and the headless females, after 

 mating, lay a few eggs which develop normally, that is, hecome fertilized 

 by the release of spermatozoa from the spermatheca in the female's 

 body, are oviposited by the repeated extrusion and retraction of the 

 ovipositor, and make the usual colour changes (from yellow to cherry- 

 red and then to lead-grey) incidental to normal development. But in 

 no case did a headless female lay her full complement of eggs, in fact 

 in no case were more than a score of eggs laid (the normal number is 

 from 200 to 350). Headless females (and headless males) usually live 

 as long as unmutilated individuals, i.e., from a week to two weeks. 



Females with head and thorax cut off (and even part of the 

 abdomen) can be mated with by males, and this fractional part of 

 the female can fertilize and oviposit a few eggs which begin normal 

 development. In one case 10 eggs, of which 8 are now normally 

 developing were oviposited by such an impregnated part of female 

 abdomen, this abdominal relict remaining alive (!), i.e., flexible and 

 responsive to stimulus and capable of extruding the ovipositor and 

 laying eggs, for forty hours. 



Males with head removed cannot find females, nor can they 

 mate if placed in contact with them. When the head or head and 

 prothorax of a male is cut off immediately after the male and female 

 are in co/mla the female, although uninjured, lays no eggs. If heads 

 of both males and females in copula are removed no eggs are laid 

 although both moths remain alive usually as long as do unmutilated 

 individuals. 



A silkworm moth can maintain itself right side up with antennae 

 off or with antennae off and eyes blackened, but with head off one 

 position seems indistinguishable from another to it, i.e., it lies on one 

 side or the other, on the venter or dorsum equally willingly. The 

 organs of equilibrium are not on the antennae, then, but are lost when 

 the rest of the head is removed. 



Coleoptera from near Garve, Rossshire. 



By NORMAN H. JOY, F.E.S. 

 Besides Cryptophagus sub depress us, Gyll., which has already been 

 recorded, several interesting beetles were taken during a visit to the 

 neighbourhood of Garve, Kossshire, in the first fortnight of August 

 this year, and as, so far as I know, no coleopterist has visited the 

 district before, I think they are worth recording, some, no doubt, never 

 having been taken so far north. A comparatively small amount of 

 time was spent in actual collecting, the distance to the collecting 

 ground being often so great, and, as was to be expected this year, rain 

 fell every day. Evening sweeping, Avhich promised well, was only 

 carried on with a sopping wet net on two or three occasions. Most of 

 the time was spent in shaking moss, etc., and a great deal wasted in 

 examining the banks of rivers, where beetles were very scarce, on 

 account of the excessive dampness. A visit was paid to the summit 

 of Ben Wyvis (3429ft.), and to Fionn Bheinn (3060ft.), near Achna- 

 sheen. I am not recording all the common Scotch species, but species 

 which are generally regarded as rare, and others that are local in the 

 highlands of Scotland ; some of the latter are, of course, common in 

 the south of England. All the following beetles were taken within a 



